A semiconductor device such as an IC (integrated circuit) generally has electronic circuit elements such as transistors, diodes and resistors fabricated integrally on a single body of semiconductor material. The various circuit elements are connected through conductive connectors to form a complete circuit which can contain millions of individual circuit elements. Advances in semiconductor materials and processing techniques have resulted in reducing the overall size of the IC circuit elements while increasing their number on a single body. Additional miniaturization is highly desirable for improved IC performance and cost reduction. Interconnects provide the electrical connections between the various electronic elements of an IC and they form the connections between these elements and the device's external contact elements, such as pins, for connecting the IC to other circuits. Typically, interconnect lines form horizontal connections between electronic circuit elements while conductive via plugs form vertical connections between the electronic circuit elements, resulting in layered connections.
A variety of techniques are employed to create interconnect lines and via plugs. One such technique involves a process generally referred to as dual damascene, which includes forming a trench and an underlying via hole. The trench and the via hole are simultaneously filled with a conductor material, for example a metal, thus simultaneously forming an interconnect line and an underlying via plug. Examples of conventional dual damascene fabrication techniques are disclosed in Kaanta et al., "Dual Damascene: A ULSI Wiring Technology", Jun. 11-12, 1991, VMIC Conference, IEEE, pages 144-152 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,423 to Huang et al., 1997.
An example of a prior art dual damascene technique is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, showing various IC structures. As depicted in FIG. 1A, a dielectric layer 110 is deposited on a semiconductor substrate 112. An etch mask 116, having a via pattern 118, is positioned on dielectric layer 110. A timed anisotropic etch is utilized to etch a hole 120 in layer 110 conforming to the via pattern. Mask 116 is subsequently replaced by mask 122 (FIG. 1B) having a trench pattern 124. A timed anisotropic etch is used to form trench 126 and to simultaneously deepen hole 120 to form via hole 128. This via hole can be etched to expose semiconductor substrate 112. Alternatively, the via hole can be over-etched partly into the substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the via hole and trench are then filled simultaneously with a suitable metal 130. Metal 130 thus forms a metallized interconnect line 132 and a via plug 134 which is in contact with semiconductor substrate 112. Additionally, a liner or barrier layer may be deposited inside the via hole and the trench prior to deposition of the interconnect metal and the via plug. The surface of layer 110 is planarized to remove excess metal 130 and to define interconnect line 132. Alternately, metal etch-back can be utilized to define the line.
Another example of prior art dual damascene is shown in IC structures illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C. As depicted in FIG. 2A, a first dielectric layer 210 is deposited on a semiconductor substrate 212. An etch stop layer 216, is deposited on first dielectric layer 210. A second dielectric layer 218 is deposited on etch stop 216, and an etch mask 220 is positioned on dielectric layer 218. Etch mask 220 is patterned (221) for etching a via hole. Second dielectric layer 218 is etched using a first anisotropic etch procedure, to form a hole 222 (FIG. 2A) conforming to the via pattern. This etching procedure is stopped at etch stop layer 216. Etch mask 220 is removed and another etch mask 224 (see, FIG. 2B) is positioned on second dielectric layer 218 such that it is patterned (226) for forming a trench. A second anisotropic etch procedure is used to etch trench 228 in layer 218. Simultaneously, hole 222 is extended to substrate 212, by etching through etch stop layer 216 and through first dielectric layer 210. In this dual damascene technique the first etch procedure has a greater selectivity to etch stop layer 216 than the second etch procedure. As shown in FIG. 2B, the second etch procedure results in forming trench 228 and via hole 230 which extends to semiconductor substrate 212. Mask 224 is removed, after which trench 228 and via hole 230 are simultaneously filled with a suitable conductive metal 232 (see, FIG. 2C) forming metallized line 234 and via plug 236 which contacts substrate 212. Excess metal 232 is removed from the surface of layer 218 to define line 234.
Conventional dual damascene techniques, such as those exemplified above, have shortcomings for fabricating structures which include power interconnect lines as well as signal interconnect lines. Power lines, which are fabricated for conducting a relatively high current, generally have a greater thickness and pitch than signal lines. Consequently, power lines typically extend through more dielectric layers or interconnect levels than signal lines which are fabricated in the same structure. One conventional technique for fabricating a structure including a power line and a signal having an underlying via plug includes etching the signal line trench to the same depth as the power line trench. Subsequently, both trenches and the underlying via holes are simultaneously filled with a conductive material. This results in a deep and narrow signal line which is difficult to fill reliably with metal. Also, such a deep and narrow signal line results in an undesirable increase in intermetal capacitance. In another conventional technique, the power line and signal line with an underlying via plug are fabricated in different interconnect levels, thereby requiring one or more additional interconnect levels, additional metal fill processing steps and one or more additional mask layers, in order to meet the different design rule requirements regarding line pitch and thickness for power lines and signal lines. This latter technique is not suitable for simultaneously filling a power line trench and a signal line trench of a damascene structure with a conductive material because these different trenches are not accessible for filling with metal at the same interconnect level.
Accordingly, a need exists for cost effective, improved techniques for damascene fabrication, wherein a power line and a signal line are simultaneously formed.